Migration is one of the most talked about issues in the UK today—and at the ONS, our job is to measure it. In our next Bringing Data to Life webinar, taking place on Tuesday 22 July from 4pm to 5pm, we’ll take you behind the numbers to show exactly how we estimate international migration, what the latest data are telling us, and why the figures sometimes change.
From administrative data to revised estimates, this is your chance to hear directly from the statisticians turning complex global movement into robust and reliable evidence.
Why measuring migration matters
Migration plays a key role in shaping the population and the services we all rely on. From planning schools and hospitals to developing policies on the workforce and housing, it’s essential that decision-makers have a clear and timely understanding of migration patterns.
But migration isn’t always straightforward to measure. Unlike births and deaths, which are recorded through civil registration, there is no single source capturing everyone who enters or leaves the UK. That’s why estimating international migration involves using a combination of data sources, methods, and expert analysis.
Moving beyond traditional surveys
For many years, the ONS relied on the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to estimate migration, but as travel patterns changed its limitations became clear. Hear about how our shift towards using administrative data –information already collected by government departments in the course of their work– is helping us to meet the growing demand for more accurate and timely data.
What provisional estimates mean – and why we use them
As more complete data becomes available, we revise our estimates to reflect a clearer picture. In this webinar, our experts will share what kinds of data feed into our early estimates, how revisions work in practice, and why they’re a sign of a robust and evolving statistical system.
Learn more about why this is an expected part of producing high-quality statistics, ensuring that we are being transparent about how the picture is improving as more information comes in.
Join the conversation live
In this session, you’ll hear from the statisticians and data scientists at the heart of our migration transformation programme.
This is not just another webinar—it’s an interactive session where you can ask questions and share your thoughts via Slido. Get involved, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding of how statistics shape public opinion.
How to Join
Whether you’re a policymaker, journalist, researcher, student—or simply someone curious about how migration shapes modern Britain—this webinar is a chance to explore the data behind the headlines.
📌 SIGN UP NOW on Eventbrite and be part of the conversation using #StatisticsForThePublicGood on LinkedIn, X, and Threads.
The event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams, but if you can’t make it live, don’t worry. A recording will be available on the ONS YouTube channel afterwards, so you won’t miss a thing. Curious about the rest of our Bringing data to life series? You can explore the previous webinars here too.